Already making a career choice!

I should be sleeping.  But I'm not.  I just had to share this super cute story about Fabi!

Today we were at the Shedd Aquarium.  The first thing you see when you walk in is the huge tank in the center, one that you can walk all the way around.  It's like the center of the wheel and all these other halls are like spokes off of it.  In this center tank there was a man in a wet suit, scrubbing the coral or whatever.  We stood there for a while and Fabi kept asking about the man in the tank, what was he doing, why, etc.  Average 3yo questions, asked about 5 times each =)  After that, we moved on to another tank.  "Where man?"  It took about 3 halls for her to let go of the fact that each tank didn't come with a man in it!

Later, Dave and Mo went swimming while Fabi and I hung out...at one point, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, I be man."  What's that?  You want to be a man?  No hon, you are a girl.  "No, I be MAN!"  No, you're a girl like me.  The guys are on a guys date and the girls, you and me, are here.  "No, I be man. I wear MASK."  Um...at this point I was really searching my brain for a previous conversation about a man in a mask...I was coming up with nothing!!  "I be man in mask.  Crubbing.  In tank."  Crubbing?  AH - I GOT IT!  You want to be like the man in the tank, scrubbing, wow, yeah, you're right, he was wearing a mask!  (I was pretty impressed - we never talked about the mask!)  "I c-wean fish."  Ha - no sweetie, he wasn't cleaning the fish, he was cleaning their tank.  "Yeah, it dirty.  Fish dirty."  Seriously, this was an impressive conversation because she rarely comes up with topics on her own..that may sound weird and rude, but I don't mean it to be that way!  Fabi is becoming quite the conversationalist and it's cool to hear about what impacts her!  And she didn't just spit back what I said, she told me something original.  As the conversation continued, she made sure to emphasize the fact that SHE was going to 'be man', SHE was going to be in the tank, SHE would be crubbing...

So there you have it.  Our girl's first career choice!

New page

I added a 'ten things about me' page.  Most of the items there you probably already know, but I just thought I would point it out if you are interested.

11 things

2011...a new year.

Lots of new things in store for us!

1 - a new (to us!) daughter.
2 - a new (to us!) van.
3 - a new calendar - baby animals =)
4 - a new 'word of the year'.  The word for '09 was discipline, '10 was give, not sure what '11 will be...
5 - possibly new foster kids, since Leah and Ray will be leaving at the end of January.
6 - new homemade bunk beds?  Dave wants to copy a set we saw today.
7 - new clothes for new daughter - she might actually be growing!!  Shirts are not quite fitting and neither are pants.  I don't think the stats show anything new, but maybe she is just taking on a new shape...
8 - more time on the road in the RV and on the lake in the boat.  We always say we want to camp a lot.  What's new is that it might actually happen!  And maybe I will go fishing more.  That's new.  I always seem to catch the most out of everyone in my family!  Whether it's at a friends' parents' lake house or the trout pond...the girl who hates fish catches the most!
9 - new drinking glasses.  I am hunting for some at the thrift stores.  A whole ton of our Correlle ones got randomly broken.  I thought of replacing them since the pattern matched our plates, but honestly?  It would be more interesting if they didn't match.  Then we wouldn't have to put labels on them when people come over.   "I have the one w/the M on it!"  Instead, it would sound more like, "I have the one with the purple elephant on it!"
10 - new babies in the extended family.  Some through birth, some through adoption!!!  WAHOO!!!  So elated...cannot wait to visit them ALL!!
11 - new opportunities to grow, learn, serve...

For the birds!

Some notes on Christmas shopping this year...
First of all, when I went last week, there were entirely too many people in the stores during the day.  I couldn't believe the lines!  I found myself grumbling that no one in this town must have jobs since they are all out shopping in the morning.
I tried again today.  I realized a few things...there are gift cards for facebook games.  Really?  I wonder how many people buy them.  Or use them!  Also, I realized that helping the elderly is something no one seems to do anymore.  There was a grandpa looking for something, 'grousing' to his wife that it was the 3rd time he's come here and still can't find this one vitamin he is looking for.  The grandma tried to help, but since I overheard and saw exactly what they needed, I stepped in.  The vitamin?  Lutein.  Good for the eyes =)  I stepped back and grandma got all the credit for finding it.  Another thing that happened to me today was that I *almost* got stuck in a shirt.  You see, thanks to genetics, I am rather thin on top.  (Not so much on the bottom!)  But I always choose small when it comes to shirts.  Sometimes even XS if they look roomy!  I put this small shirt on and couldn't slide my arm out.  I was stuck.  I don't normally pull things over my head and this shirt was so small I didn't even think I could do that.  I considered stepping out and finding someone to help me (!!!) but luckily I was able to practically dislocate my shoulders to get it off!  Note to self: do not try on clothes unless you have planned an exit route or have an assistant, preferably someone who is related to you!  I also noticed today that stores do not carry nearly enough Pedia.Sure.  I cleared out the shelf!  I did see a really funny looking Santa Mr. Potato Head!  I laughed.  I also saw blooming tulips in a pot.  Um...?  I guess it's spring somewhere.  Sigh.  I am not a fan of Christmas shopping.  I always want to be one of those people that has their shopping done in October - I really need to try that next year!!!

Ritardando Accelerando

If you know music, you know the above terms are contrary to each other.  Most of us would agree that life can be a contradiction at times too!  That is how I am feeling right now.  We went and set a court date for the adoption today...it's not until January 14.  Part of me wants time to HURRY UP and just get to that day already, but the other part of me is begging for time to SLOW DOWN so Christmas doesn't get lost in the shuffle.  For us, to say 'celebrating the birth of the Savior is important' is an understatement.  The magnitude of the free gift God has given in the form of Jesus, His perfect Son, an atonement for sinners...just the idea that He considers me/us worthy of this gift...

it is a humbling thought.

 

The celebration of Christmas is something we are really beginning to enjoy even more now that we have the opportunity to share it with the kids.  You can see how I want to make these moments last, yet fast forward to another day of importance!  A day not quite as important in the grand scheme of things, but meaningful to us in that we are being given a gift of a different kind.  To be considered worthy to raise a child, a child you had no business creating, a child who calls you Mom and Dad for no reason other than that she knows you are what a parent should be...

it is a humbling thought.